A BOY helped two men steal jewellery worth £1,000 from a Pendle shop.

The schoolboy, believed to be aged around 10, distracted the shop owner while one of the men helped himself to around 20 gold rings before all three walked calmly out of the shop.

Store owner Kevin Smith said the incident “beggared belief” and had made him consider quitting his business.

Mr Smith, who owns Woodworths in Cross Street, Nelson, said he was attending to a customer in his store when the two men and the boy came in.

He said: “One man wanted to buy a watch in the window so he went outside to point it out while the other stayed inside.

“When I was leaning down to get the watch.

“Then the man came back inside, said he didn’t want to buy anything after all and the three disappeared.”

Mr Smith said that the boy spent his time “distracting” him by pointing at things on the wall, suggesting he had been briefed by the two men.

He added: “I honestly don’t know if he was in on it because I find it so hard to believe any adult is stupid enough to get a child involved in a crime.

“I was so angry when I found out what had happened, it just beggars belief.

“Now I am not letting more than one person into the shop at a time. They can just wait outside.

“I have got proper locks on the doors and CCTV installed but I just don’t know what else I can do. It is making it so it’s not worth coming to work.”

Police are now looking at the CCTV footage from Mr Smith’s shop as they investigate the incident, which occurred at around 3.15pm on Friday.

The two men are described as Asian and in their 40s. They were wearing T-shirts and one was large, while the other was slimmer.

The boy was Asian and aged about 10 and was wearing a dark-coloured jacket.

Sgt Steve Rides, from Nelson police, urged witnesses to come forward.

Call police on 01282 425001 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.